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Replay: Best of the Week on Patriots.com Radio Fri Dec 20 - 10:00 AM | Sun Dec 22 - 01:55 PM

Bill Belichick Post-Game Press Conf - 12/22/2002

Belichick: It was a disappointing loss today to theJets. I didn't really think we did anything well enough inany area of the game.

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BB: Well, obviously, it was a disappointing loss today to the Jets. I didn't really think we did anything well enough in any area of the game and that showed up in the final score. We just didn't play well enough on defense, we didn't play very good pass defense. Couldn't do anything on offense in the first half and then not enough there at the end. So they made too many big plays at the key times and we didn't make enough, we didn't make very many. And that is the story of the game.

Q. Bill, could you talk about the job that Chad Pennington did for them tonight starting 11 for 11?

BB: I thought they executed, all of the Jets, you know, they didn't turn the ball over. We knocked one loose there at the end but they got it back. But they play efficiently and that is the part of our pass defense that we weren't very good for a good part of the game. So that caused us a lot of problems.

Q. Bill, could you point out what you see as one or two of the most glaring differences between the club you put together and the shortcomings this one has?

BB: I just would say in this game we just didn't play well enough to win in any area of the game.

Q. Overall?

BB: I won't get into that now.

Q. Was Brady frustrated in his performance in the first half?

BB: Well, I think, obviously, we were frustrated. We weren't able to do much. We only had a couple of first downs in the first half and they mixed things up a little bit. And we had a couple bad plays on against, you know, the defense that they had called. We just didn't hit it right and then a couple of things we didn't execute very well when we had a chance. So it was obviously not a real good half of offensive football. There is no doubt that.

Q. Did they do anything specific to take Troy Brown out ofthe game tonight?

BB: No. I think that they mixed it up. I mean they play what they play. They mixed it up. They played some strong side zones, some real strong side zones, two blitz zones. They did what they did. I don't think it was any specific defense geared towards them.

Q. How much did his muff hurt you?

BB: Well, obviously, it was a key point in the game. Thescore was tied there. You know, putting in a three-point lead, but then defensively they drove the length of the field twice on us so that is really what put the game out of reach.

Q. Bill, how would you rate the intensity early on or energy level?

BB: Yes, I think there was some energy there. I think there was some energy there on defense. Offensively, you know, we weren't able to get much done. We weren't able to convert third downs. We just weren't able to pick them up and so we gave the ball up around the field a lot defensively in the first half. And it is hard to generate any kind of offense and momentum when you are not making first downs and you don't have the ball. But you know, I thought up front, defense, we played the run fairly well. But you know, our pass defense wasn't, it wasn't good enough.

Q. Bill, was there any discussion during the week that you could have a performance of this, of this level, especially after the Titans game?

BB: Well, I mean it is 17-17 at the end of the third quarter. I am not really sure what you are referring to there.

Q. I am just talking the overall --

BB: You know, it is 17-17 at the end of the third quarter. We are getting the ball back. We turn it over, they kick a field goal, it is 20-17. They got a couple long drives, we didn't. We obviously didn't play well in the fourth quarter and that is where a big part of the difference in the game was. So did they play better than we did in the fourth quarter? Absolutely.

Q. Bill, the decision to start Leonard Myers over Terrell Buckley, that just -- does he tackle better, does that force the run a little bit better than Buckley might?

BB: Well, Leonard is playing and, you know, we wanted Leonard on the record.

Q. Bill, obviously, injuries play a lot of roles and Iunderstand that with every team, but I mean if you look atpersonnel you had out there today, could you have expected to have so many subs in such an important game?

BB: Well, we have got a lot of guys banged up, but that is the way it is. You know, we just whoever is out there, we have got to play to the, you know, to a higher level and we expect anybody that steps in there to play as well as the guy he stepped in there for. You know, that is why you have a team. Everybody has got to -- they have got to step up when they get the opportunity.

Q. That being said, how disappointed are you, you know, the fact that a lot of these guys maybe didn't step up?

BB: Well, I am disappointed in the way we played at the end of the game. We fought back to make it 17-17. We put ourselves in the position to take it down to the wire and have an opportunity to win. And you know, we weren't able to get it to that point so that is obviously disappointing. I don't think you can blame it on any one player. It is a number of factors in there, but the bottom line was the fourth quarter was not very well played by us.

Q. Coach, can you talk about your team; you focused on offensively. Defensively, you know, this team, did you expect to give up 30 points to these guys?

BB: Well, I think everyone in the game, you never go into a game expecting to give up a certain number of points.

Q. I mean what they were doing, that was effective offensively against your defense.

BB: Well, as I said about four times, I thought our pass defense wasn't very good. They gave up a lot of good plays on third down. In a lot of cases our receivers were in double coverage, so that is not good pass defense.

Alright. Thanks, everyone.

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